


Purr

by Drag0nWr1tes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Keith, Alpha Lotor, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fanart, Fanart in last chapter, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Happy Ending, Hurt Lance, Hurt/Comfort, Lance is not the one to die, Lanst, Lost of crying, M/M, Male Lactation, Mpreg, Omega Lance, Post Mpreg, Rape non con not shown but does happen, death of a child, end game klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-04-14 08:45:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14132436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drag0nWr1tes/pseuds/Drag0nWr1tes
Summary: An attack on the castle has devastating consequences.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THE TAGS FOR TRIGGER WARNINGS

A contented purr made its way out of Lance’s throat. Lotor's fingers gently running over his protruding belly. He was a little over six and a half phoebs along and their pup was just starting to make themself known. Ever since they’d found out that Lance was pregnant, Lotor had barely been able to keep his hands off his mate. His alpha instincts making him reassure himself that his mate and child were safe and happy.

The morning sickness, for once, wasn’t making Lance miserable. Lance really hoped that phase was starting to pass. Because they were of different species, the pregnancy was even tougher on his body. He tired very quickly, got dizzy and was in pain at times. Coran said that even this far along if Lance wasn’t careful then they could lose their pup.

He and Lotor refused to allow that to happen. As soon as they realized he was pregnant, Lance stepped down from being a paladin and Keith took up the mantle once more.

Lance brought his hand down and rested it on his mate’s hand. “Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? Alpha or omega?” he asked.

Lotor pressed his nose into Lance’s neck. “Hmm, I don’t care, as long as their healthy then I will be happy.”

The omega sighed blissfully and curled tighter into his mate. He loved mornings like this when he and Lotor could just lay in bed together. There were no attacks to worry about right now and Allura wouldn’t be calling Lotor away for training. They could be together for just a little while.

The alarm for the castle suddenly blared to life.

Lotor shot up in bed, Lance sitting up at a slower pace so that he didn’t jostle his belly too much.

Coran’s voice came over the intercom. “The castle has been breached! I repeat: the castle has been breached. Galra soldiers are everywhere.”

Lotor growled and looked back at Lance. “You stay here,” he said. “Keep the door closed and don’t let _anyone_ other than myself through that door.”

Normally, Lance would fight Lotor on that but not now. He knew that Lotor was only trying to keep him and their pup safe. “Ok.” Before Lotor could run off, Lance kissed him. “Please be safe.”

Lotor held him tightly for a few moments. “I’ll be back, stay here.” Then he was gone.

* * * * *

Lance ended up hiding in his and Lotor’s closet.

The omega was sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped securely around his belly. He could hear the fighting going, the yelling and the clash of weapons. The alarm hadn’t stopped either, Lance wanted nothing more than to go and help but his instincts were telling him to stay put. To protect his and Lotor’s pup.

The door was blasted in.

Lance carefully peeked through the crack in the closet door. Standing in the bedroom were three Galra soldiers. He felt his heart rate pick up and he did his best to keep as quiet as he could. He couldn’t let them find him. They’d hurt his pup.

One of the soldiers walked closer to the closet and Lance held a hand over his mouth. He knew that they could smell him, Lotor had heightened senses because of his Galra half; that could only mean that these soldiers' would be just as strong. Hell, they’re probably even better because they’re full Galra.

There would be no way he could hide from them.

The door shot open and Lance felt tears fill his eyes. The Galra soldier smirked down at him. “Well, look at what we have here. Lotor’s little omega slut.” He reached down, grabbed Lance by his hair and yanked him up from the floor.

Lance winced and did his best to keep from letting out a pained whine. He knew they could probably smell his fear but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry. He had to hold on until his mate got to him. “L-let me go.”

The soldier looked him up and down and then smirked. “He’s carrying Lotor’s _brat._ ”

The other soldier removed his helmet. “Really?” He took out a knife. “I wonder how the hybrid would feel if we cut his spawn out of the omega slut and left them both here to die.”

“No! No, please don’t, please!” He tried to get away from them, tried to protect his pup, but they were so much stronger then he was.

One of the soldiers began undoing his pants as he approached them. “I wanna have a little fun with the bitch first.”

Lance screamed as he was thrown down on the bed.

* * * * *

It was Keith and Shiro that found Lance. They got to the hallway where Lance’s room was just in time to hear him screaming in pain. The two paladins didn’t even hesitate as they ran as fast as they could. The scream sounded pained as much as it did scared.

When they got to the room, it was to see three half-naked Galra soldiers surrounding a fully naked Lance. Two were holding him down to the bed.

The third had a dagger that he was using to cut into Lance’s belly.

Keith’s protective instincts shot up and he snarled as he bolted into the room. “Get off of him!”

A red haze fell over his vision as flung himself into the room. A ringing had started in his ears and he wasn’t completely sure what happened after that. All he knew was that he needed to protect Lance and his pup.

“Keith! Keith!” Shiro calling his name was the only thing that pulled him out of his anger.

When he looked down it was to find that one of the Galra soldiers was dead under his hands. His face beaten in so badly that he would be unrecognizable. He looked around, the other two were dead but nowhere near as badly beaten as the one below Keith. He was the one that had been cutting into Lance’s belly.

“We need to get him to the healing pod,” Shiro said. “Keith, come on. Lance and the pup need to be healed.”

Keith turned around and looked at the two on the bed. Lance had passed out from the pain and his belly was covered in blood. “Oh God,” he whispered. “L-let’s go.” He grabbed his Bayard from where it dropped and Shiro gathered Lance into his arms.

* * * * *

Keith stared into the healing pod at his unconscious friend. “T-the babies?” His voice was barely above a whisper. Lance was _so pale._

Coran stood off to the side, a pained look in his eyes. “I was able to save one of them, but...I did everything I could for the other but the dagger pierced the other. She was dead before you even got them here.”

His eyes closed and he put his hand over his mouth. Apparently, Lance had actually been pregnant with twins, not just one pup. According to Coran, one of the babies hadn’t been detected because it had hidden behind the other. Lance had been so excited knowing he was going to have a pup. Now he was going to wake up to find that he’d actually had two but one was dead.

Keith’s stomach rolled as he thought of what had been done to Lance. Coran had needed to be fast to save Lance and hadn’t even been able to completely clean him up. Lance had gone into the pod still covered in the...fluids of the Galra soldiers that had attacked him.

The food goo he’d for breakfast that morning rolled around and he thought it would come back up so he spun around. The sight behind him wasn’t much better as he came face to face with Lotor’s lifeless body laying on one of the examination tables.

Keith stumbled over to one of the trashcans and emptied his stomach. A heavy hand landed on his back and he knew it was Hunk without even looking. “Keith?”

“I’m ok,” he whispered.

“Lance can’t see Lotor’s body when he comes out of the pod,” Shiro said. He had a hand resting on Matt’s shoulder. The only other omega on the team looking just as pale as Shiro did. The alpha turned his attention down to his omega. “Matt? You ok?”

Matt blinked and looked up at Keith. “T-the babies were so small, Shiro.” There had still been Galra in the castle so Keith and Shiro had needed to go back and help fight. Matt being an omega had been the only one that had been able to calm Lance when he woke up screaming, well, other then Lotor would have been able to do. Because of that, Matt had stayed to help Coron and had been there when both babies were removed from Lance.

Shiro wrapped his arm around his mate. “I’m so sorry, Matt.”

A tear slipped down Matt’s cheek. “I-I, Takashi, I—”

Shiro didn’t let him finish as he pulled his mate into his arms. “Come on, we can come back to see Lance and the pup in a little bit, you need to sleep.” Shiro didn’t give Matt a chance to argue as he pulled him from the room.

Once Keith was sure he wasn’t going to be sick again he stood up and went back to look into Lance’s pod. “How long will he be in here?” he asked.

“A few quintants at least,” Coran said. “His injuries were extensive. The pup will be in his incubator for at least a phoeb.”

At the mention of the pup, Keith looked over at the incubator. The pup was a tiny omega and had wires stuck to him so that he would survive. His little leg had been injured by the dagger. Coran suspected that the other one, a little girl that had the faint scent of alpha clinging to her, had somehow positioned herself to protect her brother.

Hunk came over and put a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Can we take Lance out of the pod and clean him off?” Hunk asked. “He’s trapped in there with their scent and I can’t imagine what he’s feeling or if he can smell them but...please, Coran?”

Coran looked at the screen. “Maybe, if his prognosis is good enough then we can take him out and clean him off.” He looked back at them.

The console beeped and Allura’s voice came through. “Coran, Pidge and I need your help in the control room.”

“Be right there, Princess.” Coran turned away from the console. “Get some rest you two. If something happens I’ve set up and alert on both the pup’s incubator and the pod in case something happens.” Then he was moving and heading off to the control room.

Hunk stayed close to his friend. “Keith? Come on, let’s go get some sleep. We can come back to see them after we’ve both rested a bit.”

Keith shook his head. “N-no, I can’t. They’ll be all alone in there. Lance can’t be alone, not after this. And the pup...he’s so little. Someone has to watch him.”

Hunk moved so he was standing in front of the smaller alpha. “Keith, I know you care about him and the pup, so do I, but—”

“I don’t care about him, Hunk, I love him.” The smaller alpha’s fists clenched at his side. “I fell in love with him the moment I saw him and I can’t stand the thought of him being alone. Lotor’s dead and one of his babies is dead, I can’t leave them.” He felt tears in his eyes.

Hunk moved forward and wrapped his arms around him. “Keith. I’m sorry.” He looked over his shoulder at the pup, then at Lance. “Go shower, you’re covered in blood and if you’re going to stay with him you need to be clean. I’ll stay until you get back.”

Keith’s shoulders dropped in relief. Lance’s best friend would be here. They wouldn’t be alone. “Ok, promise to come and get me if something happens?”

“Promise.”

* * * * *

Lance was in the healing pod for nine days. After four, Coran let Matt and Keith take him out of the pod for a little so they could wash him. There were no small amount of tears shed while they cleaned him.

They could smell the Galra on him still. When Matt was cleaning his lower half, he had to stop to keep from being as he washed the blood and semen from his body. Keith had needed to hold Lance close for a few minutes before putting him back in the white bodysuit so he could go back into the pod.

Matt had needed to leave as soon as Lance was secured. Keith couldn’t leave him. The only times he did was when Hunk or Matt would stay with him, and even then it was only so that he could shower.

If he wasn’t watching Lance, he was watching the pup. Keith had taken to calling the little boy “Bug” because he kinda reminded him of one. The way he was all squished up and would cuddle close to himself. The others had even picked up on doing. His purple fur, yellow eyes and pointy ears only added to that look.

Sometimes he would talk to him. He would tell him stories of the paladins and what they would do. Keith would make sure to include Lotor in those stories. Keith may not have been his biggest fan but the other half-Galra was still this child’s father.

Shiro and Hunk had moved Lotor’s and the pup’s bodies to another room. They’d wrapped them both in a sheet after cleaning them up, it made them all feel a little better to do so. There couldn’t be blood on their bodies when Lance saw them. Everyone had agreed to wait until Lance was able to be with them to have cremation of sorts.

It was while everyone else slept that it happened. The door to the pod swished open and Lance slipped out, his body weak and exhausted.

Keith was there in a second as he caught the omega before he hit the ground. “Lo-Lotor?” Lance whispered.

Keith closed his eyes and held Lance tightly. “No, Lance it’s me, Keith.”

“Keith?” he whispered. “Wh-where’s, alpha? Where’s, al-alpha?”

Tears sprung to Keith’s eyes as he carefully lifted the frail omega into his arms and took him over to one of the hospital beds. “Shh, just rest.” A soft rumbling sounded in his chest as held Lance close. It was a sound alphas can make to help scared or hurt omegas calm down, the best effects happened when it was between a mated pair but...well...Lotor was gone.

Lance’s body slumped against Keith’s as he passed out. Keith didn’t want to let Lance go but he had to get Coran. The older alpha needed to take a look at Lance to make sure he’d healed properly.

He pushed a button for the com-unit on the console. “Coran, Lance is out of the pod.”

“I’m on my way with everyone,” Coran said.

“Wait, only bring Matt with you. He doesn’t know about the pup or Lotor,” he said the second part quieter, too afraid Lance would somehow hear it. “Too many people would only scare him.”

It was quiet on the other end. “We’ll be right there,” Keith’s voice was the one to come through the com.

Keith went back over to Lance and ran his fingers through the chocolate strands on his head. Part of him felt bad for his feelings towards Lance. He’d just lost his mate and one of his children and he didn’t even know it. Keith’s concern needed to be to make sure that Lance was ok. That had to be everyone’s concern right now. He was going to need their support right now.

He turned his eyes to the incubator where the pup slept. They needed to make sure they were both going to be ok.

* * * * *

Lance sat up on the bed, his eyes dazed and his hands around his belly. “Lotor’s gone? M-my pu-pup?” his voice cracked and tears flowed down his cheeks.

Matt moved quickly and wrapped his arms around his friend to offer the only kind of comfort that an omega could. “You didn’t lose them both,” he whispered. “You have a little boy, Lance, he’s alive.”

His blue eyes filled with tears as he looked over at the incubator. “Ca-can, I hold him?”

Coran shook his head. “Not yet, I’m sorry, my boy, but the Galra the hurt him so he needs time to heal.”

Lance collapsed into Matt’s embrace. “I-I want to hold him.”

Matt’s arms tightened around the younger omega. “I know, and you’ll be able to soon. He just needs time to heal and get stronger.”

Keith wanted to go over and hold Lance close. He wanted to protect him but there was nothing anyone could short of bringing Lotor and his pup back to life. His own eyes went over to the pup, he’d be ok but his coming into the universe was not how they had wanted it to happen.

“C-can I see-see him?” he asked. “Please?”

“Of course,” Keith said. He stepped forward to help Lance up from the bed. He was still weak and exhausted and had to lean against Keith’s side as the alpha helped him over to the incubator.

Lance looked down into the case that was keeping him from his child. One hand resting on the glass and the other over his belly. “He’s so little,” he whispered. “Wh-what is he?”

It only occurred to Keith then that the incubator sealed in the pup’s scent. Lance couldn’t even scent his child right now. “Omega, he’s an omega.”

A couple tears dripped onto the top of the case. “An-and my little girl?”

“An alpha.”

The corners of Lance’s lips turned up a sad smile. “Like her daddy.” The pup most likely heard his mother’s voice, kicked his little leg and wiggled a little. “I-I don’t know what to name him...o-or her.”

“Take your time, Lance,” Keith said. “There isn’t a rush.”

Lance shook his head. “N-no they ne-need names, Keith. I-I ha—” He was panicking

Keith pulled Lance into his arms and started making that rumbling in his chest again. The omega tried to fight, his instincts telling him that Keith wasn’t his alpha, but eventually, he let himself collapse into Keith’s arms. “You can give them names, Lance, just think about it.”

The omega turned his head so he was looking down at his pup. “I-I ca-can’t just call-call him: pup.”

“Bug.”

Lance looked up at him. “Bug?”

Keith gave a sheepish smile. “I-it’s what I’ve been calling him because he curls up like a little bug.”

Lance blinked at him for a moment then his eyes went back to his son. “I-I like it.”

* * * * *

Once Lance had gained a little strength back, they held a small funeral for Lotor and Veronica. Lance had wanted to name his little girl after his sister. He still didn’t have a name for Bug. Everything he came up with just didn’t seem to fit. Matt told him it would probably come to him when he was able to hold Bug. Lance couldn’t help but agree.

So here they were. Lance looking down at his dead mate and child. “The-they look like they're sleeping,” he whispered. Matt was holding on to his arm right now, Lance needing to hold on to his friend for as much support as he could get from the other omega.

Lotor’s eyes were closed and his face was peaceful. Allura and Pidge had arranged his arms so he looked like he was cradling Veronica close to him. Like her brother, Veronica had purple fur and pointy ears, her hair was her father’s. The main difference between them was their eyes. Bug had Lance's eyes while Veronica's took after her fathers. Both of them had his silvery white hair.

Tears welled in his eyes. “I don’t know how to say goodbye,” he whispered.

Hunk came up to stand on his other side. “Just say what you feel,” he said.

He reached up and wiped the tears falling down his cheeks. “Lotor I...I love you and-and I promise I-I’ll protect Bug a-and—” He had to stop to take a deep breath to keep from fully breaking down. “I’m s-so sorry we don’t g-get to raise our ch-children together.” He couldn’t hold it in anymore as he broke down in Hunk and Matt’s arms.

The two held him up as Shiro and Keith loaded Lotor and Veronica on the stretcher that would send them out of a shoot and into the universe; the shoot would set their bodies on fire as they passed through it. It reminded Lance of those Viking funerals that he read about back on Earth.

Two other pairs of arms wrapped around his middle and he found himself held tightly by Matt, Pidge, Hunk, and Allura. Their scents surrounding him and comforting him.

Soon enough, Lance watched as his mate and child’s bodies floated out into space, their bodies set ablaze in red, green, yellow, blue and black fire enveloping them.

The sound of anguished roars filled the castle as the Lions cried out their own pain.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like this is actually going to be 3 parts instead of 2. Enjoy!

Two quintants after the funeral, Keith walked into the med-bay to find Lance on his knees by Bug’s incubator sobbing as he clutched his belly. The alpha sprinted over to the omega dropped down at his side. “Lance? Lance, what happened? Are you hurt?” He knew Bug was fine, the console would be going off if something was wrong. “Lance, come on talk to me.”

“I want to hold him,” Lance wailed. “I want to hold my pup, Keith, I want my pup.” He curled in on himself. “Why can’t I hold him? Please, please, just let me hold him.”

Keith’s heart broke all over again as he wrapped his arms around the omega and held him close. “Not yet, he’s still healing. I promise you can hold him soon.”

Lance struggled in Keith’s hold as he tried to get to Bug. “N-no! Keith please, please, jus-just let me hold him. I-I have to keep him safe!” A broken whine escaped him, one that omegas made when they were hurting so badly they needed someone to help them. It was so full of pain and anguish that Keith thought he’d start crying at the sound of it.

His arms wrapped even tighter around Lance as he pulled him close. “He’s safe, Lance. I promise he’s safe.” One of his arms wound around Lance’s upper torso and his arms to keep them down at his sides. Keith’s chest started to vibrate as he started rumbling again. He’d been doing it a lot lately as it had become the only way to keep Lance from having a panic attack when he got worked up like this.

The omega fought him for a moment longer before finally slumping in Keith’s hold all together. Tears spilling down his cheeks and whines emitting from the back of his throat. “Alpha...I wan-want—” he broke off as he started sobbing all over again.

“I know, Omega,” Keith whispered. “I know. It won’t be long now, I promise.”

* * * * *

“Lance, you need to go to bed,” Keith’s voice floated into Lance’s consciousness.

He blinked from where he was looking down at Bug and turned to look at the alpha. “Sleep?” he asked. When was the last time he’d had a good night's sleep? Oh...right, the night before the attack which had been around three movements ago.

“Yes, sleep.” Keith came over and carefully reached over and felt his cheeks. “You’re pale and swaying. You need to go to bed.”

Lance closed his eyes and couldn’t help but lean into Keith’s hand a little. “I-I can’t leave. No-not now.” He couldn’t be away from Bug. Not until he was able to come out of the incubator.

Keith frowned. “Ok, then how about on the bed there.” He nodded towards the hospital bed that wasn’t too far away.  “You can rest and you’ll be right by Bug, I promise I’ll watch over him while you rest.”

Lance’s knew Keith would protect Bug. He knew it without a doubt after Hunk had told him that Keith refused to leave them while Lance was still in the healing pod. “I can’t,” he whispered.

“Why?”

Lance only shook his head again. “You have to rest. Please, Lance, talk to me.”

His lip started wobbling and he looked down at his son again. He didn’t want to talk about it. If he did he would start crying and breaking down again. Lance needed to be strong. He needed to be strong so he could take care of Bug. “Please, Kei-Keith I-I—”

Keith put both a hand on the back of Lance’s neck and pulled his face down to the crook of his neck where his alpha scent was strongest. “Shh, breath.” The alpha’s arms came around to hold him close. “It’s ok, Lance, just breath.”

Normally, the scent of another alpha wouldn’t be able to do much other than keep him from having a full-on panic attack, but with Lotor dead omega instincts were reaching for any sort of comfort. Years ago, that’s how alphas would bond with omega’s when they’d kill their mates. With their emotions, so crazy an alpha would easily be able to manipulate the omega. Now, that was, of course, illegal back on Earth (in most countries) but Keith wasn’t trying to hurt Lance or take Lance from the grieving he needed to do. He was trying to keep him from losing himself.

Lance whimpered and pushed his face closer into Keith’s neck, closer to his scent. “Alpha…”

“Shh, it’s ok.” Keith ran his hands up and down Lance’s back in a comforting manner. “Omega, why won’t you sleep?”

Lance sniffled. Keith hadn’t used his Alpha Voice but even so, Lance felt the need to tell him what was wrong. “I-I close my eyes and I see... _them_. I can feel them to-touching m-me an-and I-I can feel the-the knife I-I—”

“Shh.” Keith’s arms tightened around him. “You’re safe. They’re dead and they won’t touch you.”

Keith’s arms around him helped him relax a little. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I-I couldn’t protect her-Veronica I-I couldn’t pro-protect her.”

“You tried Lance, you did everything you could.” Keith’s arms moved to lift Lance up into his arms and held him close. “Come on, you need to rest.” He carried the omega over to the hospital bed and gently put him down on the bed.

“Keith?” Lance whispered. “I-I can’t leave Bug alone.”

Keith ran his hand through the omega’s hair. “Sleep, Lance. I’ll watch over you both.”

Knowing Keith would be there seemed to be exactly what his body needed to relax against the bed. He laid on his side, watching as Keith went over and looked down at Bug. Lance tried to keep his eyes open for as long as he could to watch but he couldn’t. Knowing Keith was there to protect him and Bug somehow had his instincts relaxing.

The last thing he saw before his eyes slid close was Keith whispering to Bug.

* * * * *

Like when a female beta or omega had a pup, male omega’s produced their own breast milk. Lance was no different and his nipples really started to hurt after awhile.

Lance didn’t know what to do about it, he should be feeding Bug. That’s what he was meant to be doing and the idea of wasting the milk scared him. Part of him wanted to talk to Coran about it, but he didn’t know how to. How do you bring that sort of thing up?

Eventually, the decision was made for him when Allura walked in to see him hunched over clutching his chest. “Lance!” She rushed over and wrapped her arms around him. “Are you ok? Are you hurt? Do you need to go into the healing pod?”

Lance shook his head. “I-I’m fine. I ju-just…” He stopped talking, not completely sure of what to say to her.

“Let me see,” she said. Lance didn’t even have a chance to fight her before she was prying his hands away. “Oh…”

Hearing her shock, Lance couldn’t help but drop his head and try to wrap his arms around himself. “I-i…” what was he supposed to say?

“Oh, no, Lance don’t be upset.” Allura’s hands moved to his cheeks and he made him look at her. “It’s ok, this is normal for being in this kind of a situation. Does it hurt?”

Feeling his eyes tear up, he slowly nodded his head.

“Ok, I know where we have breast pumps and I can show you how to use it.” She stood up and went over to a cupboard where she started rummaging around.

“I don’t want to wa-waste it.”

After a moment, Allura grabbed found what she was looking for and came back to him. “It’s ok, we have a way to freeze it and save it for Bug. This way we’ll have a stock of some just in case we need it.” She came over and knelt down in front of him. “Here, let me show you how to use it.”

Lance let her help him get comfortable leaning against her as she showed him how to use the pump. He couldn’t keep the blush from his cheeks as she carefully touched his chest to show him what to do. Lance knew she was only helping, but it felt weird for her to be touching him like this.

He must have made some sort of a noise as he felt one of her hands come up to gently rub the scruff of his neck. “It’s ok, Lance, you’re ok.” The alpha female kept her movements as non-threatening as possible. An omega in this vulnerable of a position could, at times, perceive an alpha as a threat. Even their own mate’s had to be very careful when touching them. “You’re doing so good, Bug is going to be well taken care of, Omega,” she said.

Those words helped calm Lance’s inner turmoil and he curled into Allura’s alpha scent.

* * * * *

Lance stood anxiously off to the side as he watched Coran check over Bug’s readouts. If they were to Coran’s liking, then he would let Lance take him out of the incubator.

The omega was shifting from foot to foot, Matt standing next to him as he tried to keep Lance from freaking out too much. The rest of the team were on a scouting mission at the moment, something that Coran, Allura and Shiro had been trying to avoid but Lance had told them all to go ahead with it. Even after everything, he didn’t want to risk the universe.

And the universe needed Voltron.

So, Lance had told them to go and Matt made sure to stay close to him. While they were out, Coran said he’d check to see if Bug could come out sooner rather than later. Part of Lance wanted Keith there, he wanted the alpha’s strength in case he wouldn’t be able to take Bug out but he knew he couldn’t rely on Keith. Lance had to learn to be strong on his own again.

“Alright,” Coran cheerfully exclaimed, quickly breaking Lance out of his thoughts. “Now for the results.”

Lance started shifting even worse and Matt grabbed his hand. “Relax, Lance.”

The Cuban let out an exhausted breath. “I-I’m sorry. I just...it’s been so long. I want to hold him.”

“Well, good news my boy,” Coran said as he turned around. “His readouts are as perfect as they should be and his leg has healed beautifully, though he will still have a small limp his entire life because of the injury.”

Lance’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You mean…?”

“We can take him out of the incubator in one quintant.”

The smile on his face was so big that it actually started to hurt a little. He’d finally get to hold Bug, he’d finally get to give him a name, he could scent him, cuddle him and protect him like he should have been doing. Like he needed to do without Lotor.

The thought of his dead mate had Lance’s throat closing up and his heart pounding in his chest. Lotor and Veronica were gone. He was all alone like his abula had been when she’d immigrated from Cuba to Miami. He felt his eyes filling with tears at the thought.

Matt, sensing Lance’s discomfort and sudden sadness, wrapped an arm around his waist. “Lance? What’s wrong?”

“Lotor should be here,” he whispered, tears spilling down his cheeks. “H-he should be here with me and Bug and _Veronica_ …” He felt his chest tighten as he thought of his daughter. Thinking of her hurt worse than thinking of Lotor did. Lance should have done more. He should have fought harder to protect her.

“Hey, breath, you did everything you could.” Matt pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s not your fault Veronica died. You did nothing wrong.”

Coran put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and moved in so the omega could feel his presence against his back. The alpha scent that Coran emitted was one of comfort and familial ties and it helped to put some of Lance’s nerves at ease. “Matt is right, Lance. Your body was weak from the pregnancy as it was and fighting off three galra soldiers would have been impossible. There was nothing you could have done, Lance.”

Lance sniffled and turned around so he could throw himself into Coran’s arms. The older alpha reminded him a little of his _papá_ and he took as much comfort from him as he could. Coran’s arms came around and wrapped themselves around Lance and he held him close. “Lotor loved you, Lance, he fought alongside me that day and he tried to protect everyone. The Galra were after him, Lance, not Voltron or anyone else. He figured that out and he drew them away to protect everyone. He would just be happy to know you and Bug are safe.”

Lance couldn’t help but cry just that bit harder as he held onto Coran. It hurt to know that the Galra had purposefully been looking for Lotor to kill him. Those Galra had probably been looking for him specifically so that they could use him to lure Lotor out.

“You and Bug will be safe,” Coran said. “The team will make sure of it and when you’re ready, you can take up your position as Red Paladin once more.”

The thought of being a paladin somehow had a giant pit growing in his stomach.

* * * * *

An omega bonding with their child is an extremely delicate situation after a traumatic event. They needed the chance to just be with their child, to scent them, hold them and protect them. Because of that, the only alpha that could even be close to an omega during that time would be the alpha mate, but with Lotor dead, no alpha could be there. Not even Coran or Keith.

With that in mind, only Matt would be allowed to be anywhere near the two of them so Coran had to teach him how to properly take Bug out of the incubator.

So, here they were, Lance standing back shifting and letting out soft whines for his child as Matt worked. If it had been Coran, then it would be going faster, but Matt needed to be sure that Bug was ok and he wasn’t going to accidentally hurt him.

“I’m almost done, Lance,” Matt said when the other omega let out a particularly high pitched whine. “Just another minute.”

Finally, the last wire was removed and Matt very carefully leaned down to pick up the squirming infant. As soon as the pup was in his arms, he started crying and Matt quickly turned to face Lance. “Here he is, Lance,” he said.

Lance’s eyes were wide as saucers and his hands were shaking as he held them out for his son. “I-I can hold him now?”

Instead of answering, Matt carefully transferred the pup to Lance’s arms. Once the Cuban had a secure hold on his son, Matt took a step back so that they didn’t feel crowded,

Once the pup was settled in his mother’s arms, his crying settled down to soft sniffling and he curled closer to Lance’s chest. Lance pressed his nose into Bug’s fluffy hair and breathed in his scent. “Mine…” he whispered.

“Yours, Lance, yours,” Matt said.

Bug let out a soft wail, his face pressing closer to Lance’s chest in search of food. Lance quickly moved to open his shirt and let his pup latch on to his nipple. The tension in his body immediately dissipated as a connection with his pup started to form. Tears leaked down his cheeks as he held him tightly. “I know what his name is,” he whispered.

“What?” Matt asked.

“Emilio, his name is Emilio.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumblr   
>  Buy me a Ko-Fi


	3. Part 3

Lance and little Emilio were moved into a new room. Going into the one he’d shared with Lotor was too much for the omega to handle right away. Not with the scent of blood, sex, foreign alpha and Lotor mixed in the room. The first time he’d even gone near it, Lance had a panic attack.

So, they moved him into the empty room between Shiro and Matt’s shared room and Keith’s bedroom. Hunk and Pidge had set it up for him and Emilio before the pup been released from the medical wing. They’d even gone into Lance's old room and gathered up his clothes and some of Lotor’s things for him to have close by.

Now Lance stood in his new room, Emilio held securely in his arms, as he looked out the window. “Look ‘Milio,” he whispered to the little purple pup, “look at all the stars.” Emilio let out a little babble and cuddled closer to Lance, a tiny yawn leaving him. Lance smiled down at his son and gently rocked him.

Keith smiled from the doorway. Lance still had that bone-deep sadness surrounding him, but it had lightened a little. Having Emilio seemed to be helping to bring him out of his pain. “We thought you’d like the view,” he said.

Lance turned to face him. “Thank you, Keith, for everything you’ve done for me. I-I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there to help me.”

The alpha gave a small smile and set the small bag on the bed. “You don’t have to thank me, Lance.”

“Yes I do,” the omega said. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t think either Emilio or I would be here. And-and you stayed with me the entire time I was in the healing pod and even after, you stayed while Emilio was kept in the incubator.” Lance held his pup closer to himself and pressed his nose to his hair. Keith noticed he'd stared doing that when he felt himself getting worked up. “You took care of us when you didn’t have to.”

Keith watched him for a minute. Lance was doing better now that he had Emilio but he was still hurting. He wasn’t his happy ball of sunshine self, and he probably wouldn’t be for a long time. The alpha wanted nothing more than to take away all of that pain. Slowly, he approached the two of them, one arm going to wrap around Lance’s waist.

“I care about you, Lance, you and Bug,” he said. Keith still couldn’t help but call Emilio by that nickname. “If you ever need anything, tell me. I want to help you. When you need me, I’ll be there.”

Lance sniffled and looked him with wet eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered. The omega pressed closer to Keith’s side. His instincts telling him to reach out for the comfort that Keith offered him.

* * * * *

With Lance being in his own space now, he was doing much better. If he had gone back to his old room, that probably wouldn’t be the case. Even with the deep cleaning Allura and Coran had set up in the old room, it still smells heavily of Lotor and fear. Lance couldn’t be surrounded by his scent right now. Hunk had been gracious enough to go in an get Lance a purple throw blanket that had been Lotor’s. Small things like that were a major help.

Lance had taken the blanket and used it in Emilio’s bassinet. When the pup would be too fussy, it helped to calm him down.

Coran and Matt had also taken to making Lance have therapy sessions with one of the people from Shay’s planet. The older Balmeran woman was basically a therapist. Talking to her had been a huge help in getting Lance deal with the rape and losing Lotor.

Matt smiled as he watched Lance sit on the floor of the control room with a baby book. It had been a phoeb since Emilio had been in the incubator. If you didn’t know it, you’d think Emilio hadn’t been hurt the way he had been. The only obvious sign was his scarred leg.

Right now, the others were out on another mission so it was just the two of them and Coran right now. “He really loves that book,” Matt said as he watched the pup make grabby hands at it.

A smile graced Lance’s lips as he watched his pup. He couldn’t read the book because his Altean wasn’t that great but he could guess the story from the pictures. “Yeah, he likes it best when Hunk reads to him,” he said, a small laugh leaving him. “He acts it out and makes funny noises.”

Matt laughed at the image. He’d have to come by to check that out at some point. “I can imagine that.”

 _“Coran, we’re coming up on the target’s location,”_ Shiro’s voice came through the communicator. _“Communication from this point out will be limited at best.”_

“I understand, my boy,” Coran said. “Stay safe.”

Lance’s shoulders tensed and he held Emilio just a bit tighter. The pup squirmed a little but settled in his mother’s arms with a small yawn. When the team had to go radio silent, Lance started getting really antsy and needed to be distracted. Being in the control room wasn’t the best for that but he refused to be anywhere else when the team had to go off.

Matt came over and sat down on the floor in front of Lance. “Did you find that onsie you wanted to for Emilio?”

The younger omega took a deep breath and looked at his friend. “Um...yeah, Keith found it when we were at the space mall. He even talked the salesman down to half price for it.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Y-yeah. The guy had it the last time were there for a cheaper price but when we got there he tried to upsell it for twice what it had been. I don’t know what he said but the vendor dropped the price once Keith talked to him about it.”

Matt smiled, he knew Keith had feelings for Lance. Hell, anyone with eyes could see it. Going off with the Blade had been his way of trying to get over those feelings for Lance when Lotor started courting him. “Is he sleeping better?” he asked.

Lance nodded. “Yeah, when I wrap him in Lotor’s blanket he mostly sleeps through the night.” The fond smile on his lips turned sad. “He knows his daddy’s scent even though he never met him.”

“He’ll know Lotor, we’ll make sure of it,” Matt said.

Emilio let out a wail then, his eyes wide and wet. Lance cooed at him and held him close. “It’s ok, ‘Milio,” he said. “Mama’s got you.” He shifted Emilio around a bit so he could open his shirt for his pup to eat.

“Does-does that hurt?” Matt asked.

“At first.” He gently stroked Emilio’s cheek with one finger. “Your body gets used to it though and it actually starts to feel kinda nice as you bond with your pup.” Lance looked up from watching Emilio. “The worse pain is when the milk builds up and you don’t get it out. A-Allura had to help me use a pump when it happened while ‘Milio was still in the incubator.” His cheeks turned a little pink at the mention of the female alpha seeing him in such a vulnerable position.

Matt nodded, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “That makes sense.” He watched the way that Lance held Emilio. A feeling of longing curling in his chest as his own hand went to rest on his belly.

* * * * *

Keith sat in the little rocking chair in Lance’s room with Emilioin his arms. The team had only gotten back an hour or so ago. Coran had convinced Lance to go to bed a few hours previously so he could rest and put Emilio to bed. Keith had been planning on returning to his own room after peaking in on Lance, but when he had Emilio had been squirming and waking up.

Seeing the waterworks about to start, Keith had gone to take care of Emilio’s apparently dirty diaper before Lance woke up. Now he was just trying to rock the pup back to sleep.

Emilio squirmed in his arms and reached one tiny fist up. Keith smiled and reached out for Emilio to be able to grasp Keith’s finger. “You’ve got a strong grip,” his whispered in an attempt to not wake Lance. “Your daddy would be so proud of you, you know. You’ve got Mama’s bright smile and Daddy’s purple features.”

Emilio yawned but didn’t relinquish his grip on Keith’s finger.

“You know, Daddy saved us. Without him, Mama and the rest of us wouldn’t be here. You would have been so proud of him. I’m so sorry you didn’t get to meet him, but he’ll always be watching you. You and Mama. He’s among the stars and the stars will always watch and protect you.”

While he was speaking, Emilio had finally nodded off, his grip on Keith’s finger lightening. He smiled a bit and stood up to go put him in his bassinet. When he looked up, it was to see that Lance had, at some point, woken up. There was a tiny smile on his face and a few tears on his cheeks. “Sorry,” Keith said, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s ok.” He sat up a bit and held his arms out for Emilio. “He can lay with me the rest of the night.”

Keith nodded and gently transferred the pup into his mother’s arms. Lance settled back down on the bed with Emilio resting against him. “You’ll be ok for the rest of the night?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, thank you for-for what you said about Lotor.” He kissed Emilio’s forehead. “I-it helps, sometimes.”

Keith was glad that the room was dark enough that Lance wouldn’t be able to see his blush. “I’m glad. Goodnight, Lance.”

“Goodnight, Keith,” Lance whispered.

When he’s almost out the door, he hears Lance whisper, “I don’t want you to go back to the Blades.” Keith didn’t think he was supposed to hear that, but he did.

He didn’t get any sleep that night.

* * * * *

 _“You have decided not to return,”_ Kolivan said. The two were video chatting.

It wasn’t a question, but Keith answered anyway. “Yes, Lan-Voltron needs me. After the loss of Lotor, I believe it would be best for me to remain with them.” When he’d told Shiro, Allura and Coran of his plans to stay, they’d been excited and relieved.

_“You mean with your mate.”_

Keith’s eyes widened. “What? N-no, I don’t have a mate.”

If it were in the rebel leader’s personality, he probably would have rolled his eyes. _“Losing Lotor was, indeed, a big blow to our overall mission, however, it is not the only reason you wish to remain with your pack. You have cared for the omega of your team for some time now. Leaving when he had been mated was necessary for your growth but now he is alone with a pup and terrified. You remaining, whether you mate or not, is the right choice.”_

Had it been possible, Keith’s eyes would have popped out of his skull. “Lotor only just died, I won’t mate with Lance. It’s not right.”

 _“No, it is too soon,”_ Kolivan said. _“The omega needs to grieve, yes, but that does not mean he will not want another mate in time._ ”

“That doesn’t mean he’ll want me.”

A rare smile graced the galra’s face. _“You doubt yourself too much, Keith. The Blade will miss your skills, but our alliance with Voltron will remain strong. Contact us if and when you need our help.”_

The screen went dark and Keith was left there to ponder over their entire conversation.

When Lance had said that he and Lotor were together, Lance had felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He’d tried to be happy for Lance, really he had, and in part he was, but since the moment he’d met the spirited omega, Keith had wanted nothing more than to be with him. He just hadn’t had the courage to do so.

Then Lotor came along.

Even as happy as he had been for Lance, being away from the team felt a little better. At first, it didn’t take long before he was missing everyone, especially Lance. Being near him, his smile, his laugh, it had been difficult being away. When Shiro asked him to come back after Lance discovered he was pregnant, he’d jumped at the chance to do so. Truthfully, even if Lotor hadn’t died, Keith had been planning on returning and helping Matt and the other half galra with ground missions.

Keith sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to stop thinking about this, it was just going to give him another headache.

Eventually, he migrated out of the control room and to the common room. He hadn’t even realized he’d been following Lance’s scent until he saw the omega laying on the floor with Emilio. Both of them were laying on their bellies facing each other.

“Where’s ‘Milio?” Lance said in a false curious voice, his hands covering his eyes. His hands popped off his face. “There he is!”

Emilio giggled loudly and his little hands waved around.

Lance smiled and covered his eyes again. “Where’s ‘Milio?” He moved his hands. “There he is!”

Another giggle then his yellow eyes landed on Keith in the doorway. A sound that could only be described as pure happiness left lips and he started reaching for the alpha.

Lance looked over his shoulder at Keith. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Keith walked over and plucked Emilio up from the floor and sat down across from Lance. “I can’t believe he’s already two and a half phoebs old.”

“Yeah, he’s getting so big.” Lance sat up and leaned back against the couch. “He’s so happy, too.”

Keith smiled. “Takes after you.”

The omega gave a sad smile as he looked down at his lap.

“Lance? What is it?”

He reached up and wiped a stray tear away. “It feels wrong to feel happy.”

“What? Why?”

Lance pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. “It hasn’t even been three phoebs since Lotor and Veronica died and-and I feel like I shouldn’t be happy. It’s too soon.”

Keith frowned. “Who says? Who says it’s wrong to feel happy?”

His head dipped lower. “I-I don’t-”

Seeing the impending breakdown, Keith carefully held Emilio in his arms as he scooted over to settle next to Lance. With a little coaxing, he got Lance to let go of his legs as he transferred his pup into his arms. “Look at, Emilio. Is it wrong to be happy to have him?”

Lance whimpered and shook his head as he looked down at his pup. “No.”

“Is it wrong to be happy when you see him smile or laugh?”

“N-no.”

Keith carefully pulled Lance into his side. “It’s not wrong to start feeling better. I know you miss Lotor and Veronica, I know you want them back, but that doesn’t mean you can’t smile again.”

Emilio cooed up at him and Lance seemed to lose it then. He held Emilio close to him and cried and cried as he leaned into Keith’s side.

* * * * *

The universe hated Lance. Hated him with a capital “H.”

The cramps in his belly were getting steadily worse and the seat of his pants were getting wet. He wrapped his arms around himself and whimpered.

Omegas, normally, didn’t experience a full heat until one year after giving birth. For Lance, it had only been four phoebs. Coran had scanned him and said that after being in the healing pod for so long his body had, essentially, been tricked into thinking it had undergone a full year since giving birth to Emilio.

“Ca-can I take a suppressant?” he asked.

Coran shook his head. “I’m sorry, my boy. If we had caught it sooner, maybe.”

Lance whimpered and curled further into himself. His heats were _painful_. When he’d been at home, he spent an agonizing five quintants, alone. At the garrison and before he’d mated to Lotor, Hunk had helped him through them. The large alpha was off-world visiting Shay so even if Lance had wanted to ask him, it was impossible. Pidge was just too weird to even consider. Allura was too much like a sister to him that she was just out of the question. Coran was just weird to even think about. And Shiro was mated to Matt. Even if Shiro had wanted to help it would be impossible. As possessive as alpha were over their omega, omegas could be more so.

That left Keith.

Spending a heat with Keith sent a small spark of desire through him followed by a curl of shame. Before he’d been with Lotor, he’d had feelings for Keith, but the alpha had never shown an interest in him so he’d forced himself to move on. It would be opening so many old wounds, not to mention feel like such a betrayal to Lotor.

Fuck, it already felt like a betrayal to even be thinking about.

“Lance,” Coran said, his voice drawing him out of his thoughts. “We can put you in a sort of stasis for the duration of your heat, some of the medical practitioners on Altea found a way to do that for intense heats such as yours.”

“I hear a but coming.”

He nodded. “But, it was never truly perfected. Two-thirds of the omegas that went into the stasis ended up having a multitude of medical issues after, such as infertility, chronic pain, heart issues and others. I do not recommend it.”

Lance dropped his head down into his hands and gripped his hair. He was already in pain. Spending a heat alone terrified him. “K-Keith,” he whispered. “Ca-can you get Keith?”

“Of course.” Coran patted his shoulder as he walked by. “It’ll be alright, my boy.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything.

Lance tried to hold himself together as his cramps intensified. He’d most likely be in full blown heat by in tomorrow night. Another thing about his heats was that when they hit, they hit fast and hard. They were, thankfully, fairly regular so he did have time to prepare of them.

Usually.

A particularly sharp cramp gripped him and Lance let out a pained whine as he curled into himself. God, he just wanted this to be over.

A hand landed on his shoulder. “Lance? Lance, what’s wrong? Do I need to get Coran?”

“Keith?” he asked.

The alpha’s scent finally reached him. “Yeah, it’s me. What is it? What’s hurting?”

Lance raised his head, tears filling his eyes. “I-I’m go-going into heat.”

Keith’s eyes widened. “What?” His nose twitched as he sniffed the air. “Quiznak. What do you need me to do?”

“i-I…” he took a deep breath. Lance was grateful he hadn’t asked how that had happened. He’d probably be asking about it later. “You-you don’t have to but wo-would you sp-spend—” he cut himself off. God, it was so embarrassing. He took a deep breath. “Spend m-my heat with me?”

If it were possible, Keith’s eyes widened even more.

“You don’t have to! I-I don’t-I I’m sorry, I-I shouldn’t have asked.” He tried to get out of Keith’s grip. Lance would deal with the pain of his heat himself. He’d done it before, admittedly not in a long time but he had.

“No, no, Lance.” Keith moved his hands to Lance’s arms to keep the omega from bolting. “Stop, it’s ok. I was just surprised.” Lance stopped struggling and blinked his tear-filled eyes up at the alpha. “I’m not saying no I just want to be sure that you want this and it’s not something you think you have to do.”

Lance shook his head. “N-no, I know.” He looked down at his hands. “M-my heats hurt, ba-badly when I-I don’t have a partner. Hu-hunk use to help me, then I had Lotor. Yo-you’re the one th-that makes me feel the safest and-and I-I.” He wrapped his arms around himself.

Keith reached forward and took Lance’s face in his hands. “Hey, it’s ok. Take a deep breath.” Once Lance had calmed down enough, he continued. “If you really want me to spend your heat with you, I will.”

Lance saged against Keith. “Thank you,” he whispered. “An-and I’m sorry, for dumping thi-this on you.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Keith said. “I want to help you. I want you safe and healthy. Ok?”

Lance nodded a small smile coming to his face. “You’re the best.” He wanted to ask something, but he didn’t know how.

“What is it?” Keith asked. “I can see those wheels turning.”

He looked down again. “Co-could y-you kiss me?” he asked. Then quickly added, “I don’t want the first one to-to be wh-when I’m in heat.” He dropped his eyes again, his heart pounding in his chest. Maybe this was a bit selfish, but during his heat, he’d be completely mindless with need and pain. He wanted to remember Keith’s lips against his while he had a somewhat clear head.

Keith took his chin in his hand to make him look up. In the next moment, he felt Keith’s lips pressing against his.

Lance closed his eyes and leaned into the alpha for support. Keith’s lips felt soft and right against his. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting but the sense of longing and adoration wasn’t it. Feeling the alpha against him settled something deep inside of Lance.

When they pulled apart, Lance leaned forward and leaned against Keith’s chest. “Th-thank you,” he whispered.

Keith’s lips pressed against the top of Lance’s head. “Of course, I’d do anything for you.”

Some part of him still rebelled, he still felt like he was betraying Lotor. Right now, though, he couldn’t think like that. It would rip him apart if he did.

* * * * *

Shiro held Emilio in one arm as Lance handed over a bag filled with enough diapers and toys to last the few days he’d be out of commision. “H-he needs this to sleep,” Lance said. He handed over a purple blanket. “And he wakes up two or three times a night to eat or because he needs to be changed. Sometimes he just wants to be held. Telling stories helps him fall asleep and-and—”

“Lance,” Shiro said. “Breath, Emilio is going to be fine.”

Lance rubbed the back of his head. “Ye-yeah, sorry. I-I just haven’t been away from him for more than a couple hours.”

“I know.” Shiro put the bag on his shoulder and gently patted Lance’s head. “Matt and I will take good care of him. We’ll keep him safe just like he were our own.”

The omega let out a breath and nodded. “I know you will.”

Shiro watched Lance for a moment. “You’re worried about your heat.” The alpha knew that Keith would keep Lance safe and as pain-free as possible, but the entire situation was fucked up. The two had feelings for each other, anyone with eyes could see that, but Lance was still hurting from losing Lotor.

“I-I know Keith will be good to me,” he said. “I know that, but…”

“Lotor.”

Lance sniffled and wiped his face as he nodded.

“Everything that’s happening is unfair. Lotor and Veronica dying is unfair. What those galra soldiers did to you is unfair. You didn’t deserve a single thing that happened to you and is still happening to you, but Lotor would _not_ want you to suffer.” Emilio squirmed in his arm and he gently started rocking him. “Lotor would have done anything to keep you from suffering.”

The omega wrapped his arms around himself. “And Keith? I don’t want to hurt him and he’s doing so much for me.”

“Keith knows your hurting,” Shiro said. “He knows that you have so much to deal with. He can take care of himself.”

He wiped more tears from his face. “Thanks, Shiro.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. Now go, that pain medication that Coran gave you isn’t going to last much longer. Matt and I will take good care of Bug.”

* * * * *

Lance was curled up and pitifully whimpering in the nest of blankets he’d hastily put together. He was naked, flushed a bright red and slick coating his thighs. “A-alpha hurts.”

“I know.” Keith carefully climbed into the nest, his hands stroking his tanned flesh. “I’m here, Omega. I’m here.”

Lance whimpered and bared his neck. He was completely on display for Keith’s eyes. Long, lean, body stretched out, hands gripping the sheets, legs spread.

Scars marred Lance’s belly from where they’d needed to cut Emilio and Veronica out of him.

Keith thought they were beautiful. “Omega, tell me what you need.”

Lance moaned. “Y-you alpha, please, please. Hurts so much, need you.”

He growled and crawled up Lance’s body. God, he wanted to take him so bad, but he had to be sure that Lance knew where he was and who he was with. Coran had told him to do that, he needed to make sure that Lance knew that it was Keith and not Lotor or, God forbid, those Galra had raped him, or it could be detrimental to both of them.

One hand reached down to plunge two fingers into Lance’s hole. The Cuban whined and arched his back in pleasure, some of the pain keeping his face tight fading away. “Alpha! Please!”

“Say my name,” Keith demanded. “Say my name and tell me where we are.”

“M-my room,” he whimpered. “K-Keith, alpha, please, I need you.”

“Shh, I’m here.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against Lance’s. Keith was glad that Lance had asked for that kiss before he got so deep into his heat. “I’m here.”

Keith kept his fingers moving in and out of Lance. The stimulation seeming to help sooth the pain that had started in the omega. He knew Lance had painful heats, Hunk had told them that when Lance had gone into his first one in space, but seeing it was so different.

Fate was cruel.

“Alpha-Keith, wa-want your knot,” Lance whimpered. “Hurts, need it. _Please_.”

The alpha growled softly and pressed his lips to Lance’s neck. “Shh, you’ll get it.” He wanted nothing more than to make Lance feel good but not with the pain he was in.

Keith settled between Lance’s thighs and removed his fingers from his hole. The sound that Lance made, a cross between pain and longing, nearly had Keith clamping his teeth down on Lance’s scent gland. He redirected his bite to Lance’s collar instead. It would leave a mark but this one would fade.

“K-Keith!”

He removed his teeth and instead started sucking at the same spot. He couldn’t mate him, but that didn’t mean that Keith wouldn’t mark him. He lined his cock up with Lance’s hole and slowly pressed in.

Lance moaned and tossed his head back, the motion exposing the line of his neck “Alpha.”

Keith gave the omega a moment to adjust before he started thrusting hard and fast. He hoped that after the first knotting then the pain wouldn’t be so bad for Lance.

“Keith, harder, faster!” he moaned, his arms curling around Keith’s neck. “I need it, please.”

He growled again, one hand reaching for Lance’s small omega cock and stroking it in time with his thrusts. The combined sensations had the omega opening his mouth in a silent scream.

Keith’s other hand reached up to the scent gland on Lance’s neck. He wouldn’t be able to bite it, wouldn’t dream of it without Lance’s approval, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t touch it. He pressed his fingers down on the gland, the action releasing more pheromones into the room and the feeling of a claiming through Lance’s body.

The reaction was instantaneous as Lance’s convulsed around Keith’s cock. The knot at the base of the alpha’s dick expanding to lock them together as he came inside of Lance.

Lance pressed himself close to Keith, his face pressed into the alpha’s neck.

Keith wiped his hand on the sheets below them before wrapping his arms around the omega. He turned them so that Lance was laying securely against his chest. “Lance? You with me?”

He nodded. “Y-yeah.” His voice sounded tight. “Th-thank you, Keith.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Lance.” He squeezed the omega tightly and pressed his lips against the top of his head. “Sleep for now. You’ll need as much of it as you can get.”

“Ok,” he whispered. It didn’t take long for Keith to feel Lance fall asleep.

Keith ran his fingers through Lance’s hair and pressed his nose into the omega’s hair. “I love you,” he whispered to the sleeping form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part will be the /last/ part for sure. I just think it would be better to do as it's own mini-chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> My Tumblr  
> Buy me a Ko-Fi


	4. Part 4: Epilogue

Emilio loved Pidge the most, besides Lance and Keith of course.

Lance had no clue how that had happened, but it had and he found it hilarious. Especially when Pidge just kinda sat there holding Emilio too afraid to move. “It’s not funny, Lance!” Pidge whisper yelled. “You have literally put an entire life in my hands! What if I drop him? Or hold him too tight? I’m not ready for this kind of responsibility!”

The Cuban couldn’t help but chuckle. “Pidge, relax, you’ve got him.”

Wide green eyes shot over to him. “How can you say that? I’m holding your _child._ This is not smart.”

“Is Pidge freaking out again?” Hunk asked. The yellow paladin sat down next to Pidge.

“Rightfully so!”

Hunk laughed. “Well here, I’ll take him then.”

Lance shook his head as Pidge quickly complied. Emilio barely stirring as he was shifted from one person’s hold to the other's. “I don’t know why you freak out so much. You’re actually really good with him.”

Hunk held Emilio against his chest and gently rocked him back and forth. “They’re just afraid of children.”

“I am not!” they said. “I just prefer kids that are at least few movements old. They're less breakable.”

Again, Lance shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”

Emilio let out a soft gurgle as he woke up. His head turned back and forth before his eyes landed on Lance. A large smile spread across his face and he reached out for his mother. “Ba!” he screeched.

Lance laughed and reached out for his pup. “Hi, ‘Milio!”

He squealed in delight as he was lifted into his mother’s arms. Lance held him steady so that Emilio could balance on his mother’s thighs. His leg muscles were getting stronger and it wouldn’t be long before he was going to try and walk. Pidge was working on a brace that would help Emilio’s hurt leg so he would be able to walk as he got older.

“Alright Lance, tell us what’s going on. You’ve been quiet for the last few days,” Hunk said.

Emilio’s weaker leg started to give out but he just shifted his weight around a little. Lance smiled and gave his son just a little more support.

The omega didn’t remove his eyes from Emilio. “Keith...Keith said he loves me.”

“When did he tell you that?” Hunk asked.

Emilio lost his balance again and Lance quickly pulled him close. “H-he didn’t really tell me. It was during my heat and he thought that I was asleep.” Lance put Emilio on the ground between the three friends so he could crawl around.

“Are you upset about it?” Pidge asked. They quickly moved their nails and other tools out of Emilio’s path.

Lance shrugged. “No, I just...I don’t…”

“Lance, do you feel the same way?” Hunk asked.

Again, the omega shrugged and played with his hands. “Yes,” he whispered. “But….it’s too soon, Lotor only died a few pheobs ago and-and I can’t mate again. I can’t.”

Emilio tried to crawl Hunk and the big alpha scooped the pup up into his arms. “Just because Lotor died, does not mean you can’t have another mate. I mean, that’s what happened with my mom and my step-dad.”

Lance wiped his face. “I can’t replace Lotor.”

“You wouldn’t be,” Pidge said. “Keith would never ever try to replace Lotor for you. If you’re not ready, then you’re not ready, but you don’t have to be alone forever.”

“What if I’m never ready?” he asked.

“Then you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Pidge said.

“Moving on from the pain is the biggest thing to focus on right now,” Hunk added. “Keith will understand that, but you know if he gives you trouble then we’re here for you.”

“Yeah! We'll kick his ass if we need to!”

“Pidge!” Lance exclaimed. “No cursing in front of Emilio!” Even as he scolded his friend, there was a smile on his face.

“Whatever.”

“Ba!” Emilio leaned over and started reaching for Pidge.

“What do you want, small child?” they asked while leaning away from the grabbing hands.

* * * * *

It took Lance an hour to get Emilio to sleep. It had taken him reading two bedtime stories and sing him a lullaby to get him down.

The omega sighed as he curled up in the bed. The sheets still smelled faintly of his heat and Keith’s alpha scent. He’d be lying if he said the scent wasn’t calming. Part of him longed to have the alpha with him, but he knew he wasn’t ready for that. Hell, spending his heat with Keith had been pushing it. Lance couldn’t do it. He couldn’t betray Lotor like that.

Sighing, he curled up into a ball and let his eyes drift closed.

* * * * *

_When he opened his eyes, he was on a beach. The sun was high in the sky and the waves lapped at the soft sand. Lance wandered further, a small contented smile on his face as he looked around. It reminded him of the beach he use to visit with his family._

_Behind him, he heard a squeal of happiness and gentle laughter._

_He knew that laugh._

_“Hello, my love,” Lotor’s smooth voice came from behind him._

_Slowly, Lance turned around to face his mate. “Lotor,” he whispered. His eyes landed on the pup he held in his arms. “I-is that…?”_

_“Yes, this is our daughter,” he said. He came closer. “Would you like to hold her?”_

_In a daze, Lance nodded and held his arms out for Veronica. Lotor transferred the pup to his arms, a smile on his face as he watched the two of them. “She is extraordinary, my love, she and Emilio.”_

_Lance looked up with tear filled eyes. “He’s amazing, Lotor. So happy and loves to play. I-I wish you could be with us.”_

_Lotor wrapped his arms around Lance and Veronica. “Oh, love, I am with you. I am watching over you and Emilio, always. Veronica and I will be with you until the end of time itself.”_

_He leaned into his alpha’s scent, tears spilling into the fabric of Lotor’s shirt. “I don’t want to let you go.”_

_Lotor's hand moved through Lance’s brown hair. “You have to, love. Emilio needs you to and I need you to be happy, even if it’s no longer with me.” A gentle rumbling started in Lotor’s chest and Veronica let out a happy gurgle. “Keith will be good to you.”_

_Lance leaned back so he could look up at Lotor. “Y-you’re not mad?”_

_“I could never be mad at you.” He brushed the tears off of Lance’s cheeks. “I know you love me, as I love you, but there is always room in your heart for more. It is what makes you, you. If Keith is the one you wish to be with then you have every right to be happy.”_

_Lance looked down at Veronica. She looked so much like Emilio that it made him smile. He could just imagine the kind of trouble to two would have gotten up to if given the chance. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”_

_“Then you don’t have to do anything, but do not let me stand in the way of your happiness.” Lotor leaned down and pressed a kiss to Lance’s lips._

* * * * *

_“I love you.”_

Lance woke with a lighter feeling in his chest and tears on his face. He sat up a little bit and looked around the room. It was strange, but he could have sworn he smelt Lotor. Like he had just been there.

A soft noise from Emilio’s crib had Lance moving over to the pup. He’d pulled himself up so he was standing on both feet with the edges of the crib supporting him. After Lance’s heat had ended, Keith and Shiro had replaced the bassinet with the light green Altean crib.

Emilio smiled up at him. “Ma!” he exclaimed.

Lance’s eyes widened and he knelt down so he was eye level with his son. “Who am I, ‘Milio?”

The pup laughed. “Ma! Ma!”

His eyes watered and he lifted Emilio out of the crib. “That’s right, I’m your mama!”

* * * * *

When Lance finally made it out to breakfast, everyone was already there. “Morning, Lance, my boy!” Coran cheered. “You’re just in time for breakfast.”

Lance smiled at the older man and took the empty seat between Keith and Pidge. Emilio’s eyes landed on Keith and he immediately started reaching for the alpha. “Ke!”

Keith smiled and easily lifted the pup into his arms. “What? You want me?” He bounced Emilio up in his arms and made silly faces at him.

Shiro shook his head at the younger alpha, his flesh arm around Matt’s shoulders. “Now that everyone is here, we’ve got some news,” he said.

Keith settled Emilio on his lap and looked at the other man.

Once they had everyone’s attention, Matt smiled. “I’m pregnant.”

It took a second for the news to register. Lance was the first one to react. “Matt that’s fantastic!” He was up and out of his seat so he could hug the other omega.

“Thank’s Lance,” the older boy said. Soon enough, everyone was up and hugging Matt and Shiro.

“Great, another rugrat,” Pidge muttered, but they were smiling as they hugged their brother tightly. “Congratulations, Matt.”

“Thanks, Pidge.”

Lance stood back and watched the group. He remembered when this had been him and Lotor. That had been over a year ago now. Lance couldn’t believe it had been that long.

He looked down at Emilio, a small smile on his face. Emilio looked up at him, a toothless smile spreading across his lips. “Ma!”

Lance leaned down and kissed Emilio’s forehead. As much as he wished things happened differently, he wouldn’t give up his son no matter what.

* * * * *

“See that Bug?” Keith said as he pointed at the stars on the observation deck. He had Emilio in his arms as he pointed out the different planets. “That’s the planet Kaplin, that’s where the Blade started teaching me how to scout for missions. Maybe when you get a little older I’ll teach you that.”

It was at that point that Lance felt himself fall even harder. Keith had been there for him, had kept Lance from losing himself in his grief and had helped him with Emilio.

“Lance, what’s wrong?” Keith asked. The alpha came over and sat down next to the omega.

“N-nothing,” he said. “I just, you’re so good with him.”

Keith put Emilio down on the blanket between them where his toys were strewn about. “He’s an awesome kid.” He put his arm around Lance and pulled him into his side.

Lance rested his head on Keith’s shoulder and watched Emilio crawl around on the blanket. “I…” he took a deep breath. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”

He felt Keith stiffen beside him. “Y-you have?”

Lance pulled back enough so he could look at the alpha. “Yes, I-I’ve had feelings for you for awhile and-and I just, I needed to tell you.”

Keith reached up and wiped the tears from his face. “I’m in love with you, too, Lance. I just didn’t want to push you.”

He leaned into Keith’s hands. “I-I love you, but-but I don’t think I’m ready t-to fully bond just yet. I-I’m sorry, I-I just—”

“Lance, breath, it’s ok.” He leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. “I don’t expect you to be ready so soon. I love you. Knowing that you feel the same way is more than enough. When you’re ready, I’ll be here. I'll wait as long as you need me to.”

Lance put his hands over Keith’s. He hadn’t expected this but he was so happy this was the outcome. The stress he’d been feeling for the past few days finally leaving him.

“Ma! Ma!” A little hand patted at his leg. They both laughed at Emilio’s attempt to get their attention.

Keith leaned forward and picked up Emilio so he was settled between them. “We love you too, Emilio.”

Lance closed his eyes as he curled around Emilio, his head tucked just beneath Keith's chin as a contented purr sounding in his chest.

(Art made by [Allexche on Tumblr](http://allexche.tumblr.com/))

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: http://bidragonwrites.tumblr.com  
> 


End file.
